Manchester United Transfer News: James Rodriguez Blow Amid Juventus Rumours

Manchester United have been served a severe blow in their hopes of signing Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez, with Juventus now in pole position to sign the playmaker, per Corriere dello Sport (h/t the Daily Mail’s Richard Arrowsmith).

After securing their fifth consecutive Serie A title, the Italian giants appear to be moving quickly to prepare themselves for another run at domestic and European titles next term.

Take a look at the options available to the creative star ahead of next transfer window:

Colombia international Rodriguez has fallen down the pecking order at the Santiago Bernabeu under manager Zinedine Zidane this term, resulting in him making 23 league appearances for the Spanish giants, per WhoScored.com.

According to ESPN, the French coach has become irritated at times this season with the speculation surrounding Rodriguez’s future with the club. However, their separation appears now to be drawing nearer.

Per Corriere dello Sport, Rodriguez wants to leave the Spanish capital and has chosen Italy as his preferred destination, with negotiations for his transfer reportedly already under way with the Turin giants.

Agence France-Presse's Spanish sports correspondent Kieran Canning highlighted how far his stock has fallen in the past 12 months:

The 24-year-old playmaker joined Real for £60 million from principality side Monaco following a string of sensational performances in FIFA World Cup 2014 for his country.

After a bright start to his tenure with the club under former manager Carlo Ancelotti, his career has taken a turn with the combination of off-field problems and a lack of first-team exposure under Rafael Benitez and Zidane.

Per Marca (h/t Dermot Corrigan of ESPN), Zidane was forced to play down Rodriguez being caught speeding in his car at 200 km/h in early January and has urged the attacking midfielder to concentrate on his footballing talents. 

Bleacher Report's European football writer Karl Matchett highlighted the game time the former Porto star has missed during this calendar year:

Juan Karita/Associated Press

Manchester United are expected to relieve coach Louis van Gaal of his duties and appoint Portuguese Jose Mourinho in his place this summer, per David McDonnell of the Mirror.

According to Fichajes, via the Metro’s Mark Brus, one of his first actions as United boss will be to make a move for the wantaway Colombian. However, that plan has come under scrutiny following Juve's reported interest. 

Gifted with wonderful close control and technical prowess, Rodriguez glides across the turf with elegance and grace to supply his attackers with smart passes. 

He is athletic and dynamic and can shrug off rough challenges, the latter being a trait that was surely developed during his time with Colombian side Envigado, where he made his debut at the age of just 15, per the Daily Mail's Graeme York. 

Additionally, he offers an attacking threat from long-range and has an eye for the spectacular effort, as seen by his wonderful turn and strike against South American opponents Uruguay during the 2014 World Cup.